Cattle gates as a system for preventing cattle from wandering outside of a specific enclosure while also allowing vehicles or people to pass through the gate are well known. In the past, cattle gates have taken many forms including standard hinge gates which are opened either manually or automatically when a vehicle or person passes through the gate or a grate system which provides a permanent opening in the fence but discourages cattle from passing through the opening.
A number of problems exist with both standard hinge gates and cattle grates which lead to either inconvenience to a vehicle operator or the risk of cattle escaping from the enclosure. For example a manual gate requires that a person physically opens the gate to allow the vehicle to pass through, and subsequently requires a person to close the gate after the vehicle has passed through the gate. In the event that a driver of a vehicle is the sole occupant in the vehicle, this requires that the driver exits and re-enters the vehicle two times for each gate that is passed through. Furthermore, a standard hinge gate requires a latching mechanism to keep the gate closed which if either through malfunction or improper use may result in the gate opening at an improper time which allows cattle to escape. In order to overcome the inconvenience of a manual gate automatic gates have been developed which detect the presence of a vehicle near the gate and which automatically open the gate and subsequently close the gate when the vehicle has passed through. However, due to the mechanical and/or electronic complexity of such automatic gates, climate or other factors, such gates may be inappropriate due to expense and/or reliability in many circumstances.
Accordingly, in the development of systems to keep cattle enclosed within a field, a common form of gate is to provide a cattle grate or "Texas gate" type system. A cattle grate is positioned over a ditch and within an opening of an existing fence system. The grate is provided with a series of horizontal members spaced apart sufficiently for an animal's leg to fall through but close enough that a vehicle can pass over. Thus, while a vehicle can pass easily and safely over such a grate, cattle do not attempt to go over the grate and through the opening as their feet would fall through the members into the ditch below. Accordingly, the cattle stay within the pasture. Furthermore, in view of the lack of a specific barrier which must be opened, closed and maintained, the cattle grate system provides convenience to a vehicle operator in that the vehicle driver does not need to physically get out of the vehicle in order to pass through the gate. In fact, a vehicle need only slow down upon approaching and passing through a cattle grate and it is not normally required that the vehicle actually stops.
The problem with cattle grates arise when a large vehicle may have to pass through the opening while subsequently making a turn near the opening. In such a circumstance, as the vehicle turns, it may brush against the uprights of the adjacent fence posts resulting in damage to the fence posts and creating a hole in the fence system which may enable cattle to escape.
Furthermore, in the winter time, it is often necessary that a snow plow needs to travel across a cattle grate to remove snow from around the fence system. However, existing fence systems often do not allow a wide snow plow with its blade to pass through the gate without causing damage to the uprights at the side of the grate.
Accordingly, there has been a need for an improved cattle grate and fence system which overcomes the problems outlined above. In particular, there has been a need for a fence post system and cattle grate wherein the upright fence posts adjacent the cattle grate are provided with a flexible surface or a bumper so that in the event that a vehicle hits the upright, the upright will not break but rather the impact will be absorbed by the flexible surface or bumper system. Still further, there has been a need for a secondary fence post system wherein a complete section of the fence adjacent the cattle grate can be readily and easily removed from the ground in the event that a particularly wide vehicle is passing through or around the cattle grate.
A search of the prior art has revealed a number of patents to various related systems but none which address the specific problems as outlined above. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,874,493 discloses an automatic signal and barrier device for a railway crossing which includes resilient and flexible poles; U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,785 discloses a marine bumper which includes a hangar assembly for a tire bumper; U.S. Pat. No. 79,141, U.S. Pat. No. 446,852 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,309,041 disclose hinge fence post systems or support posts including pins for securing the posts in an upright position; U.S. Pat. No. 1,356,302 discloses a railway gate having a hinge support which includes a shear pin device; U.S. Pat. No. 1,694,109, U.S. Pat. No. 1,982,569 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,724,156 disclose socket like reciprocals for receiving poles; and, U.S. Pat. No. 12,385 and U.S. Pat. No. 978,505 disclose fence posts having hollow chambers and caps for sealing the chambers. However, none of the above patents disclose a vertical fence post with a bumper system adapted for use in and around a cattle grate.